Learn to be independent
Yes, going to college and living “on your own” (as in away from your parents) can be seen as a big step towards achieving personal independence, but moving alone to a foreign country for four months is an entirely new level of autonomy. You’re really living on your own, or with a roommate, or with a family that may not speak your language. You have to cook for yourself (sometimes), shop for yourself, book your own flights, make new friends, and even take care of yourself when you get injured (this one played a huge role in my own abroad experience). Learning to be on your own and integrate into a new culture is an eye-opening and humbling experience. It’s an opportunity that everyone should seize if they have the same amazing chance to study abroad that we Kenyon students do!
Travel to places you’ve only ever read about
Remember that really cool website you found on StumbleUpon with 50 of the most unique places on Earth or the 10 best restaurants in Europe or the world’s most beautiful waterfall in Greece? Get off the computer and go there. Save up your money and take trips, see the sights, bring your camera, write about it. Sure if you stay in Gambier you can have Curried Red Lentil from the VI until the cows come home, but you could also be eating authentic spinach dal in India or freshly pressed pasta in Rome.
Live in another country for pete’s sake!
When else in our lives are we going to get the chance to live in a foreign country for four months—to move beyond the tourist stage and actually become a temporary citizen of another country? Once the novelty of the first few weeks wears off and you realize that you’re not just a visitor, you can allow yourself to feel comfortable in a new and exciting environment and live beyond the daily routines of being a tourist.
Learn time management and budgeting—for real
I consider myself a fairly organized person, but you don’t know the meaning of time management and budgeting until you have to construct full itineraries for travel breaks while going out four nights a week and seeing as much as you can while keeping a close eye on your online bank account (as you watch it drain slowly…slowly…then very quickly) while also managing to sleep every once in a while. It’s a delicate balancing act, but it can be done. And you’ll be so proud of how well you managed it all when you come out on the other side with a semester’s worth of amazing memories albeit a little bit of sleep deprivation.
Burst out of the Kenyon bubble
Life on the hill is amazing, but it’s a confining life. We’re sheltered from the real world, have little exposure to people who aren’t like us or who don’t think as we do, and are relatively spared from the stresses of adult life. The lovely AVI workers at Peirce cook our meals, Maintenance helps clean our living spaces, Campus Safety takes care of us when we get a little too crazy, the Health Center holds the tissues as we blow our noses from the latest round of Kenyon Crud. Let’s face it—it’s a bubble. This relates back to the first point about independence, but do yourself a favor and step outside of your cozy Kenyon comfort zone! If anything, it’ll be nice to return to Kenyon after your semester of independence and revel in the fact that you no longer have to clean your own bathroom.
All of the things you love will be there when you get back
Your friends, Middle Path, Taco Tuesday at Peirce…yes it’s sad to be away for a whole semester and feel like you’re missing out on quintessential Kenyon events. Adjusting to a new country can be hard and lonely sometimes, but remember that Kenyon and all of its trappings will be there for you when you return! You may miss Sendoff or a really cool Halloween party, but you’re probably going to be doing more fun stuff in Barcelona or Capetown or Buenos Aires or wherever you’re going anyway.
So that’s it collegiettes! Whatever your reason may be for staying in Gambier in lieu of going abroad, chances are we at HerCampus Kenyon can make a pretty good counterargument to convince you to get over it and just GO…so let us hear it!